Director of Landscape Operations

Schill Grounds Management; Westlake (OH); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Schill Grounds Management is seeking a Director of Operations based in Westlake, Ohio, who will lead regional operations and drive financial success across our landscape maintenance services. The ideal candidate will provide strategic leadership, oversee budgeting, and ensure compliance with safety and operational practices.

This role requires a strong background in the industry, with 10 years of experience and a Bachelor's degree in business administration. Candidates must demonstrate exceptional analytical skills and the ability to manage change effectively.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Strong leadership background with experience in coaching.
• Demonstrated success metrics in prior roles.
• At least 5 years in landscape/snow branch or regional management.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to branches in the regional portfolio.
• Own annual budgeting and planning.
• Coordinate CapEx planning and asset disposal.
• Identify and implement value creation initiatives.
• Work with VP of Sales to meet sales and retention goals.
• Serve as a senior safety leader.
• Adopt operational best practices.
• Monitor KPIs and report performance.

Skills

Operational expertise in landscape maintenance

Building processes and systems

Change management

Analytical skills

Coaching and mentoring

Time management

Understanding of high-growth enterprise drivers

Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Ability to travel regularly

Education

Bachelor's degree in business administration

Tools

Aspire

CRM systems

Job description

Come join our industry-leading team! We are rapidly expanding and looking for leaders to join our teams across the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest Regions.

What began over 30 years ago as a local landscaping company has grown into something much more, a passion rooted in our values and driven by delivering an extraordinary experience to our teams, clients, and the communities we serve.

Schill Landscape Collective is proud to partner with leaders in their markets, bringing together strong local businesses aligned in values and purpose. With these partners, we are ranked #25 in landscape companies. With over 30 locations, we service customers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.

Job Summary

The Director of Operations is a senior operational leader responsible for the achievement of overall financial success including revenue, margin, profit, and EBITDA across an assigned portfolio of regional operations. The Director of Operations reports to the Chief Operating Officer and partners closely with the leadership team and with other Directors of Operations to ensure operational consistency, alignment, and enterprise-wide execution efficiency. All employees are expected to demonstrate our core values: employee centered, customer focused, and champions in the communities we serve.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides overall leadership to all branches within the assigned regional portfolio in support of company goals.
• Owns annual budgeting and planning for the assigned operations.
• Coordinates annual CapEx planning and asset disposal plans to maximize investments within the region.
• Identifies and implements value creation initiatives and assists with evaluation and integration of M&A and greenfield growth opportunities.
• Works with the VP of Sales to ensure annual sales and retention goals are met.
• Serves as a senior safety leader and champion for the assigned portfolio.
• Coordinates the development and adoption of operational best practices.
• Participates with senior management on enterprise initiatives and overall growth strategy.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly leads and manages a team of Regional Operations Managers through ongoing feedback, coaching, and mentoring.
• Partners with HR to drive adoption of a comprehensive safety program and training best practices.
• Leads the identification and development of a leadership pipeline, supporting the recruiting, hiring, and training of branch managers as needed.
• Conducts timely and constructive performance evaluations for all direct reports.
• Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy.

KPI Accountability

The Director of Operations is directly accountable for the performance of key operational and financial metrics across the assigned regional portfolio. This includes revenue attainment against budget, gross margin and EBITDA performance, branch profitability, labor utilization, safety incident rates, customer retention and growth in wallet share. This also includes employee retention, development and engagement. The Director is expected to monitor KPIs on a regular cadence, identify variances, and drive corrective action in partnership with Regional Operations Directors and branch leadership. Reporting on KPI performance to the executive leadership team is a core ongoing responsibility.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated operational expertise in landscape maintenance, landscaping, snow removal, and related services.
• Proven success building processes and systems to drive predictable and repeatable outcomes.
• Ability to manage change, coach through restructuring, and deliver financial results in line with budget and investor expectations.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability and desire to coach and mentor individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills to manage competing priorities.
• Understanding of the drivers of success within a high-growth enterprise leveraging acquisition and integration.
• Proficiency with Aspire, Microsoft Office products, CRM systems, and other related software.
• Ability to travel regularly

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or 10 or more years of relevant industry experience.
• Strong leadership background with verifiable experience in coaching and mentoring.
• Demonstrated achievement of branch or regional success metrics in prior roles.
• At least five years of experience in landscape and snow branch management or regional management within the industry.